


Short Move, Long Stay

by irinokat



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-08 02:12:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5479469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irinokat/pseuds/irinokat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's a little bit rough moving into a new Shatterdome when you need a little help moving in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Short Move, Long Stay

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cân Cennau (cancennau)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cancennau/gifts).



> A Secret Santa gift for Ciwpid based on one of their prompts about helping someone move in. This was fun to write, I hope you enjoy it!

Mako stands in the doorway of the bare room, unsure what thought to focus on first. Wow, it’s even smaller than the other barracks – so dusty, she needs to find cleaning supplies – at least she has a room to herself now – is this cramped, boxed-up space going to be a reflection of her life now? The official movers simply set her neatly labeled boxes and suitcases in stacks all over. In a way, it’s nice, allowing her to completely personalize her space, but unpacking once again seems such a daunting task, even with the slow downsizing throughout all the moves to different Shatterdomes.

“Welcome to Hong Kong!” Mako turns and smiles at the familiar voice behind her. Tendo Choi holds his arms open, ready for an embrace she happily gives. It’s quick but sweet. “Hope the jaeger hanger gave you a slightly better first impression.”

Mako’s smile grows wider. “Lady Danger is a beauty, even in her current state.”

Tendo winces, but recovers quickly. “Not really sure I agree there. But we can fix her up.”

“Just as she was before,” Mako says, nodding, her smile dropped to a thin, sad line that’s too worn in on her face. How easy to forget; how careless words can be. It must be difficult for Tendo to help build on top of what holds so many memories, good and bad, for him.

Tendo pats her arm. “Even better. Don’t get too humble, kid. You’re top of your classes for a reason.” He glances over her shoulder at the box piles. “Anything I can help you with here?”

Mako bites her lip. She doesn’t want to ask too much of him, especially with this being her first time seeing him in person in a long while, but some help would be nice. “Do you know where I can find a broom?”

“I’m sure we can find one.”

 

Finding cleaning supplies shouldn’t take this long, but even with her weariness from travel, Mako’s just happy to be around Tendo. The feeling fades just a little bit, mixing with apprehension, when he waves to two people leaving the mess hall. She wasn’t exactly expecting a friendly welcome or help, but now that she has it, the thought of Tendo leaving doesn’t sit well with her.

“I’ve got an idea,” Tendo says, dashing off to speak to the two. Mako studies them. One has a cane, though he seems to be avoiding leaning on it. The other has a supportive hand on his back. The arm she can see has tattoos covering it, making her wonder what the other arm looks like. They look familiar, she must have met them once, certainly read about them, but their names aren’t leaping to mind. The tattooed man trots off as Tendo walks back over to her. “Newt’s always making messes,” he says. “He knows better where to get ahold of things.”

 By the time they make it back to her quarters, Mako has a much better mental map of the place. Their official tour isn’t until tomorrow, and she won’t get the detailed runthrough that Stacker will get, going over every nook and cranny in order to determine both what needs to be repaired and what can actually get taken care of. Mako does not envy the path ahead of him, but understanding where everything in the Shatterdome is would help her greatly.

She starts to pull boxes into the hallway. To her surprise, Tendo helps her, grabbing two or three and asking, “You putting these in any order?”

“No. I just need to clean first.”

“Yeah, maintenance has gotten a… a little bit hinky recently.” Mako looks at him, confused; is this slang she hasn’t heard before? “We’re not really too organized yet with all these new people here,” Tendo clarifies. “Sorry that you had to move in like this.”

“It’s nothing I can’t deal with.”

At that moment, the tattooed man walks up, holding a broom, a mop, and a bucket full of dust rags. “Think this’ll work?” he asks, holding everything up for Tendo and Mako to inspect.

“Wonderful,” Mako says, reaching for the broom. “Thank –”

Instead of handing her the broom, the man walks past her and into the room, setting everything else down outside before going to town on her floor. “Sir, I can do that,” she says, hesitant to let him keep going but not sure how to stop him.

“Call me Newt,” he says, looking up at her and grinning as he continues to work. He seems to be doing more to kick the dust up than actually pile it or move it out.

“Newton, this is her room,” comes a new voice from behind Mako. She turns; it’s the man with the cane from before. “Perhaps you should let her take care of it.” He leans slightly closer to her and says quietly, “Please understand I’m saving you trouble in the long run.”

“I know how to _clean_ , Hermann,” Newt says, “and I’m bored anyways. Like having a little real legwork to do instead of all the stupid paperwork bull-”

Hermann walks forward and takes the broom from Newt’s hands. “ _Doctor Gottlieb,_ ” he hisses, “and you should have had enough fun reorganizing your lab for the umpteenth time after moving here.” He turns and hands the broom off to Mako. “Perhaps you’d like to help move the rest of these boxes out so she can sweep under them.”

The afternoon passes with more pleasant banter, Mako more watching than joining in. Tendo seems to be hanging back more as well, more amused to see the two argue than to partake, asking her questions and letting her direct him. The move wouldn’t have been trouble for two people, but between the four of them her room is organized on the double, time having flown past when Mako checks her phone at the end. No one’s particularly tired by the effort, but she’s relieved to rest after all the packing and traveling of the past few days. “May I sit?” Hermann asks, pointing towards the chair at her desk. She nods. The man does seem a touch winded.

“Thank you very much for your help,” she says. “It was nice to meet you, Doctor.” She turns her head and nods to Newton. “And you, Mr. Newt.”

“Just Newt,” Newt says, and Tendo chimes in with him, rolling his eyes at the same time. “Anything else I can help with?”

Mako thinks she’s seen enough of both Newt’s actual help and his overenthusiastic but manic “help” today. “You’ve done more than enough.”

Tendo clamps his hand around Newt’s arm. “I think maybe now that she’s moved in, we should let her have some time to herself.” He starts to drag Newt from the room.

Mako gets to her feet. “How can I repay you?” she asks, genuinely unsure. It’s a little awkward, now that she thinks of it, having older men help her out, but she’s never exactly been around people her own age much since Stacker adopted her, even in the Academy’s variance of ages and tendency toward younger pilots.

“Pizza?” Newt says. Hermann gives him a look. Newt glares back. “Joking!”

Mako smiles. “Let me pay for take-out.”

“It’s not necessary,” Hermann says, getting to his feet as well.

“I would like to,” Mako says. “I do appreciate the help.”

Newt pokes his head in the door from where Tendo’s trying to drag him. “Come check out the lab sometime!”

As Mako waves them off, she feels an odd mix, lonely but at the same time relieved to have some time to herself, especially after traveling with Stacker. But it’s nice to know that now she’s a little less alone and another new, strange place.


End file.
